Purkeys announced it has developed a product for technicians to check cords and trucks to make sure they are capable of delivering enough power to the liftgate charging system.

Purkeys Liftgate Double Check (LDC) is capable of testing the 7-way and the truck while current, or a load, is flowing through the system, the company noted. This gives technicians the ability to determine how much voltage drop is occurring, which is used to determine if the liftgate charging system is getting adequate power.

Fleets with liftgate charging systems that use a 7-way can sometimes have issues with getting adequate power to those charging systems, the company explained.

“Many technicians will try to measure the power by unplugging the 7-way and using a voltmeter to check the pins in that cord for voltage,” Purkeys said. “But this only provides them with the voltage and not the voltage drop. To determine voltage drop, the voltage has to be measured while current is flowing. The LDC is specifically designed to perform this task.” 

After a technician properly connects all the adapters, starts the vehicle and then hits start on the 20 Amp Applied Load Module that comes with the LDC, they can see how big the voltage drop is with current flowing through the system.

If the voltmeter reads fewer volts than 11 with the load on, then either the cord or the truck is not capable of providing sufficient power to keep the liftgate charging system operational. Technicians can us the tester again on the truck to determine which of the two it is.

“The LDC has everything fleets need to diagnosis issues with liftgate charging systems and keep drivers where they belong: on the road,” Purkeys noted.